Leather strop

[senderomag]

Does anyone use a leather strop to touch up there knives in the field. Does it do a decent job ?

[huntinstuff]

Strop is used to polish and take fine burrs off an already highly honed edge.

In the field, there are 100 better ways to touch up your knife.

[fishnguy]

You can have some diamond paste or the “mud” off your sharpening stone on the strop to put an edge back on a knife that isn’t dull (depending on steel).

I think it was Phil Wilson (could be wrong) who said that you can put some of the “mud” on your sheath or even jeans for occasional touch up in the field. Though it would have to be a very long trip for his knives to need a touch up.

[3blade]

No. If a knife is made of the appropriate material, sharpened and used properly, you don’t need to touch it up at all until you get home.

Stroping modern steel (s30v, 3v etc) is rather pointless for meat processing tasks, and if done incorrectly will degrade the edge. Definitely not something you do by headlamp or on the tailgate.

I don’t carry any old soft carbon steel or budget stainless type stuff in the field. No good reason to be inefficient.

[hilt134]

I’d look at the little sypderco diamond stone for that. Or something like a falkniven puck. I’d save the strop for when you are at home doing the butchering. For the field work the degradation that I’m expecting you see is more stone work

[graybeard]

You can try one of these... https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/l...-0756262p.html

I have experienced that, when I think my blade is losing its edge, it is because of the fat and tallow buildup and with a quick wash, my edge is back.

Any knife with good steel should easily dress two animals with sharpness to spare.

I always carry two knives.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by 3blade

No. If a knife is made of the appropriate material, sharpened and used properly, you don’t need to touch it up at all until you get home.

Stroping modern steel (s30v, 3v etc) is rather pointless for meat processing tasks, and if done incorrectly will degrade the edge. Definitely not something you do by headlamp or on the tailgate.

I don’t carry any old soft carbon steel or budget stainless type stuff in the field. No good reason to be inefficient.

This

[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by 3blade

No. If a knife is made of the appropriate material, sharpened and used properly, you don’t need to touch it up at all until you get home.

Stroping modern steel (s30v, 3v etc) is rather pointless for meat processing tasks, and if done incorrectly will degrade the edge. Definitely not something you do by headlamp or on the tailgate.

I don’t carry any old soft carbon steel or budget stainless type stuff in the field. No good reason to be inefficient.

While I agree about the steel (I don’t touch up my knives in the field), completely disagree about stropping being pointless. Strop is often all I use while processing meat at home. I use strop for some of my kitchen knives between sharpening as well. Stropping does work great on modern steels.

Had to look up what I said in my previous post in regards to Phil Wilson. Here is what he said:

Sometimes for some steels you can skip the stone step for a few sharpenings and go right to the strop to restore the edge. This is typical of CPM 154 and AEB-L.

And

I rub some Silicon Carbide slurry into the edge welt on my hunting knife sheath. A couple of strokes on that will get a workable edge back on a field knife with just a little effort.

[coy coyote]

Originally Posted by senderomag

Does anyone use a leather strop to touch up there knives in the field. Does it do a decent job ?

Buy a good steel instead, you can maintain your edge for multiple animals . if I'm skinning beef or butching chickens I'll run my knife across my steel alot. I use a strop too but its not the edge I want for skinning or if I'm constantly hit bone . I like a strop and buffing wheel to put a mirror finish on kniflves that I use to cut leather and to shave leather. What I've learned is there actually a few different kind of edges you can put on a knife depend on the job. My knife that I use to live kill is sharp but has a rough edge. The edge on my leather knives will shave the finest hair but will dull quickly if where to cut meat or skin with it.

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[Battle Rat]

A smooth steel (not one of those crappy ones with lines or diamond coated) will do you well in the field.
It will bring the fine rolled edge back up to where it should be after dragging the knife across bone, greatly extending the edge of a knife.

[senderomag]

Thanks fellas. One of my customs is made by gill cote. After I got my knife made he said he was retiring in a few mines. The reason I asked about the leather strop is he basically try’s to dull one of his knives for 17 min. After all this a few swipes on a leather strip and a guy shaved with it

The 17 min video is on YouTube. In the search type in knife cutting test wmv

Thanks for the reply’s

[Daslogster]

I have used both a strop and a ceramic hone (triangular for serrated blades) and have stayed with the ceramic hone as it can do any edged tool and is small.